Whiting: Trick to teen's magic is passion, practice

Mark Gibson, a senior at Tesoro High School in Las Flores, shows off his skills at juggling. At 18, Gibson is the youngest person inducted into the Magic Castle and the Academy for Magical Arts.LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

When you have a passion there's no stopping you, especially with magic on your side.

I'm with Mark Gibson who five years ago, at age 13, became the youngest person ever to perform at the prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood and be accepted into the Academy of Magical Arts.

I promise Gibson, a high school senior, no Harry Potter jokes. Still, "magical arts" seems awfully Hogwarts and far too serious a term for people who pull rabbits out of hats.

Gibson stands in his family's living room in Rancho Santa Margarita and picks up a crystal orb the size of tennis ball. The orb waltzes down his arm, tangos through his fingers and performs a grand jeté under his palm defying gravity.

And the floating orb isn't even the 18-year-old's best trick, er, illusion. In fact, this is no illusion at all.

It's – yes – magical art.

• • •

For the past five years, Gibson has performed at the Magic Castle, hospitals, church events, birthdays, school fundraisers. Gibson explains that for him, the best thing about magic is watching adults become little kids again.

"They're seeing something they can't explain," he tells me. "There's this rush of imagination, like the first time they saw it snow."

I remember that feeling about magic – and snow. I was 8 when I decided to become a professional magician. But after I learned the charms of a matchbox with a secret compartment – like most kids – I lost interest after discovering performing magic is darned difficult.

Gibson discovered his passion when he was 10 years old. And never gave up.

As with his practice of taekwondo – Gibson was a black belt at 10 – he found a world that set him apart, that allowed him to meet other kids, that helped him with his shyness.

Slightly obsessive in a good way and tipping an imaginary hat to his major influence, Criss Angel, Gibson tells me he also discovered that he had the patience and focus to improve.

Soon, he set his sights on being admitted into the Magic Castle, a half-century-old private clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts.

Audition rules are tough. Five minutes before a panel of judges. Go over the time limit, you're out. Make a mistake, you're out.

Most hopefuls clock through at least three auditions before being accepted – if they are accepted at all.

Two weeks after his 13th birthday, the minimum age, Gibson blew away the judges on his first try. What was his secret?

Related Links

Mark Gibson, a senior at Tesoro High School in Las Flores, shows off his skills at juggling. At 18, Gibson is the youngest person inducted into the Magic Castle and the Academy for Magical Arts. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Eighteen-year-old Mark Gibson, a senior at Tesoro High School in Las Flores, is the youngest person inducted into the Magic Castle and the Academy for Magical Arts. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Mark Gibson, right, a senior at Tesoro High School, performs magic tricks for fellow students. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Mark Gibson, a senior at Tesoro High School in Las Flores, is the youngest person inducted into the Magic Castle and the Academy for Magical Arts. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Mark Gibson, 18, is a senior at Tesoro High School in Las Flores and is the youngest person inducted into the Magic Castle and the Academy for Magical Arts. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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